Sundance 2021: Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It is an eye-opening documentary exploring the life of EGOT winner Rita Moreno. Rita Moreno is among the select few to receive the EGOT.  She also is a recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and many more.  The list of honors goes on and on.  But awards are not all there is to her story.  She persevered in the industry…

"Sundance 2021: Rita Moreno"

Sundance 2021: CODA

CODA is a crowd-pleasing film that will bring about tears and laughter by the end in telling a heartwarming story on screen. I regret that I almost didn’t even watch this film on Opening Night.  In glancing at the comedy listings, I saw CODA listed and the rest is history.  But in all fairness, this isn’t only a comedy but mix of drama and coming-of-age story, too.  At the end of the day, it’s still…

"Sundance 2021: CODA"

Sundance 2021: Summer of Soul

Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) makes for a rocking good time while revisiting the late 1960s. Please stay through the credits for a clip at the end of the film. A lot was taking place in the summer of 1969.  Man went to the moon when the Apollo 11 mission made history.  A happening took place at Woodstock.  But at Mount Morris Park, the Harlem Cultural Festival was taking…

"Sundance 2021: Summer of Soul"

The Dig: Carey Mulligan Is Phenomenal

The Dig is one of those pre-World War II films that is going to end up going under the radar but Carey Mulligan is phenomenal. Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) is a widow living on a Sutton Hoo, Suffolk farm.  This farm just happens to be the home of a few burial mounds.  Could the mounds have a treasure buried inside?  This is what Edith suspects and she hires amateur archaeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to…

"The Dig: Carey Mulligan Is Phenomenal"

A Stone in the Water: A Gripping Thriller

A Stone in the Water is a gripping psychological thriller in Oregon that finds one woman getting into something far bigger than she knows. Following a brief prologue to set the tone, we’re introduced to Alex Parker (Melissa Fumero).  We don’t know much about her other than she’s on the run from Frank (David Fumero).  Viewers will come to learn she’s pregnant.  One thing leads to another and Alex soon heads to live with Martha (Bonnie Bedelia). …

"A Stone in the Water: A Gripping Thriller"

Apollo 11: Quarantine Picks Up Upon Landing

Over two years after the world premiere at Sundance, Apollo 11: Quarantine picks up with the astronauts landing back on Earth. Leave it to Todd Douglas Miller to come through with a last-minute surprise.  In a perfect world, Todd Douglas Miller would have won an Oscar for the 2019 feature documentary.  However, this isn’t a perfect world as the critically acclaimed documentary didn’t get a nomination.  Could this film change things by getting a nomination…

"Apollo 11: Quarantine Picks Up Upon Landing"

Penguin Bloom: Naomi Watts Delivers In Drama

Two-time Oscar-nominated actress Naomi Watts delivers an effective performance as usual in the new Netflix drama, Penguin Bloom. Stick around for the credits if you’d like to see a slideshow of photos. Healing can come in the oddest of places.  For Samantha Bloom (Naomi Watts), her emotional healing came after the family took in an injured baby magpie.  Sam would bond with this injured bird, which her three children–Reuben, Noah, and Oli–named Penguin.  Hence, the…

"Penguin Bloom: Naomi Watts Delivers In Drama"

9th Circuit Cowboy Is A Short Documentary

Terry Sander’s new documentary, 9th Circuit Cowboy, is a profile of the late 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judge Harry Pregerson. The film’s opening montage includes a clip from The Colbert Report’s The Word segment.  This segment is just one of a few to open the film, which is too short at 53-54 minutes in length.  But this is just one small part in a larger story. A brief history of Judge Pregerson: he died…

"9th Circuit Cowboy Is A Short Documentary"

Rock Camp: The Movie Is A Dream Come True

If you ever wanted to know what it is like to attend the Rock’ n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, Rock Camp: The Movie is the documentary for you. If you have about $5,000 and an interest in rock music, you can attend one of the most famous fantasy camps in America.  Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of this opportunity?  I know that I would!  If not for The Beatles Anthology airing on ABC, I would…

"Rock Camp: The Movie Is A Dream Come True"

Pat and Mike: Tracy-Hepburn Classic on Blu-ray

Pat and Mike is the final team-up between Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn while the duo were under contract to M-G-M. Following Pat and Mike, Tracy and Hepburn would team up to make only two more films together: Desk Set (1957) and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967).  The latter two films would be released by 20th Century-Fox and Columbia, respectively.  If you have not watched the latter, I beg of you to please do…

"Pat and Mike: Tracy-Hepburn Classic on Blu-ray"